In the latest episode of Security Sessions, CSO Editor-in-Chief Joan Goodchild speaks via Skype with Michael A. Davis, the CTO of behavioral analytics company CounterTack. The two discuss why machine learning is so important to CSOs and CISOs, even...

Machine learning (or behavioral analytics or artificial intelligence) is one of the buzzwords of 2017 — you’ve probably heard about this trend long before reading this sentence. Some vendors, especially in the security space, are touting machine learning as a way for overloaded staffs to get rid of the mundane aspects of security alerting and analysis. The technology has also created a lot of FUD as vendors try to define machine learning in their own way.

In the latest episode of our Security Sessions video interviews, I spoke via Skype with Michael A. Davis, the CTO of CounterTack, a software firm that deals with behavioral analytics. In the video we discussed why machine learning is so important to CSOs and CISOs, even if they themselves are not particularly investing in such technology for their own security systems. Before Joe in Marketing comes in with a request for a machine learning system for their department, you should be aware of the issues in securing data around these systems.

Among the highlights of the video are the following sections:

0:48 What is machine learning and behavioral analysis?

1:23 How is machine learning integrating with data security?

2:13 How does a CISO address the issue of other groups bringing in analytics and machine-learning systems into the company without knowing the risks involved?

3:30 What are the risks involved with machine-learning if people aren’t properly trained to understand these systems?

4:35 How can a CSO successfully take the message of securing the data to different groups within an enterprise?

5:55 How can CSOs take advantage of some free resources available?

6:54 There’s still a lot of FUD around this market. How can CSOs wade through the hype in this area?

Joan Goodchild was editor in chief of CSO and had been with the publication since 2008. She is a veteran editor and writer with 20+ years experience and is the recipient of an Edward R. Murrow award for investigative journalism. She has a Master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.